New York, New York, the latest Kander & Ebb musical on Broadway, announced Sunday that it will close in one week.
The musical, which also features additional lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is inspired by the 1977 film, which was directed by Martin Scorsese and featured Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro. The show opened at the St. James Theatre on April 26 and will now play its final performance on July 30.
The sudden closure comes as the large-scale production, which had a big cast and expansive scenery, has failed to pull in big numbers at the box office, amid unfavorable reviews. In recent weeks, capacity has hovered just above 70 percent. Additionally, the musical won only one Tony Award, for best scenic design, after being nominated for nine, including best musical.
New York, New York features direction and choreography by Susan Stroman and a book by David Thompson and Sharon Washington. The cast is led by Colton Ryan, who was Tony nominated for his role, along with Anna Uzele, Clyde Alves, John Clay III, Janet Dacal, Ben Davis, Oliver Prose, Angel Sigala and Emily Skinner.
The musical takes place in New York in 1946 and follows a group of artists trying to follow their passions and find new careers in the city. The score includes songs Kander and Ebb previously wrote for other works, new compositions and songs the duo wrote for the film, including “New York, New York.”
“We would like to thank the extraordinarily gifted and committed performers, who have been a dream to work with, alongside all of the friends — John Kander, David Thompson, Sharon Washington, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the sublime orchestra, the unwaveringly dedicated creative, production and administrative teams, the backstage staff and technicians, all of whom were led by the visionary Susan Stroman. And of course, we will be forever grateful to our fiercely committed and passionate co-producing and investing community, who enabled us all to bring this show to life,” said producers Sonia Friedman and Tom Kirdahy.
The musical was capitalized for up to $25 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
New York, New York will close on the same day as the play Grey House, which stars Tatiana Maslany and Laurie Metcalf and made the closing announcement on July 19.
